Home was a longtime dream for couple

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchThe annual Bexley House & Garden Tour will feature nine homes in a variety of styles and sizes, from a 1,400-square-foot Dutch colonial to a luxurious 1920s English Tudor mansion.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchAs poor young newlyweds in communist Hungary, Peter and Edith Korda passed time by imagining their dream home in England. Half a century later and half a world away, the couple built that home in Bexley.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchWhen they built their dream home they had a design in mind — after all, they’d been thinking of it for 50 years — but, in planning the home with architects and the builder Heinlen-Follmer, they started in an unusual place: the dining room. The resulting room, more than 23 feet long, has served them well. “I don’t know how many turkeys were buried on this table,” Korda joked.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchEleven-foot ceilings and wide entrances between rooms create a flowing openness to the 5,925-square-foot home.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchIn addition to the dining room, a library was essential for the couple in their new home.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchWhile the Kordas had a clear idea for the home, they were helped in the design by two Columbus architects: Lajos Szabo, who helped refine the kitchen, hallways and ceilings; and Phillip Markwood, who provided the exterior look, which combines a European formality with the horizontal emphasis of the prairie style.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchA spacious entry hall anchors the first floor, serving as a gallery for the couple’s extensive collection of art. Although much of the art comes from Europe, pieces can be found from throughout the world.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchThe couple, now in their 80s, also insisted on an elevator in the home in case the stairs become a challenge. Good health allows both to easily navigate the home now, although the elevator proved useful in autumn, when Edith broke her pelvis.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchEleven-foot ceilings and wide entrances between rooms create a flowing openness to the 5,925-square-foot home.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchEleven-foot ceilings and wide entrances between rooms create a flowing openness to the 5,925-square-foot home.Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchAfter living in the home for almost a decade, the house seems as perfect in reality as it did in fantasies so long ago. “I had a very hard time moving away from Dublin,” Peter Korda said. “But I’ve never looked back.”Request to buy this photo

Barbara J. Perenic | DispatchAfter living in the home for almost a decade, the house seems as perfect in reality as it did in fantasies so long ago. “I had a very hard time moving away from Dublin,” Peter Korda said. “But I’ve never looked back.”Request to buy this photo